Tag: Valley Hospital

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A Perfect Storm in Ridgewood Developed and Pushed the Council majority to the Curb

3 amigos in action Ridgewood NJ
May 16,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, readers continue to takes issue with Gwenn “drunken tiriad” at village hall after the humiliating defeat of the Aronsohn slate .Many residents can’t get over the fact that Gwenn lost it the night everyone met at the Community Center to hear the election results.  She certainly had been drinking but that really is a non issue( Many drunks are nice!) .

Gwenn literally went into the face of a resident screaming and cursing and saying, ” Are you fucking gloating” and other curses.  Her extremely rude husband who,is known for his rudeness, grabbed her to take her away all the while smiling and saying, ” we have freedom of speech, she can say anything she wants!” A classy act .

All three of the outgoing council members have demonstrated serious narcissistic rage issues. So many have witnessed these rants or have been the victim of them.

They have held these anti free speech civility meetings for two years basically attacking everything and everyone but themselves.

If the new council is only better in this department, we are most definitely in a better place.  The behavior has affected so many areas of village government including not allowing for real conversation about problems in the departments.

Add that to the fact that the village manager acted as a 6th council member and was encouraged to do so made it impossible for Susan and Mike to have the impact they tried so hard for.

Fortunately, for residents a perfect storm developed:  so many citizen groups with a variety of issues speaking out at once.  There was no way they were going to beat that and that it is why they tried to push everything through in such an aggressive manner so quickly.

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New Ridgewood Council Needs to press Valley Hospital to Contribute

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog
May 15,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, a reader commented that , “hopefully the new Council pushes hard on challenging Valley’s not-for-profit status. If we can capture $4.5mn in annual property taxes from Valley for everything they own in Ridgewood, then the property tax burden on residents could be reduced. This would be enlightened tax policy from the new Council and smarter governance. They pay their CEO $2mn a year to run a single hospital – not a system – and acquire every building they can yet pay no property taxes?!?! Not fair to village residents who effectively subsidize their public safety services, snow plowing around the local roads by Valley’s properties (which get removed from rateables), etc. time to pay your fair share.”

New Jersey courts have established a three-part test that, in essence, provides that for an organization to be entitled to property tax exemption, it must show that:

1. it is organized exclusively for a charitable purpose (or other qualifying purpose enumerated in the statute);
2. its property is actually used for such a charitable purpose (or the specific qualifying purpose applicable to that organization); and
3. its use and operation of the property is not for profit.

Morristown Hospital failed the third test, so will Valley.

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Ridgewood Councilwomen Gwenn Hauck strikes again?

gwenn hauck

May 13,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Make sure you see page B1 of The Ridgewood News, issue date:  05/13/2016 (Friday the 13th of all things).

There, in the left center of the page, you will find a photograph of Ridgewood Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck posing with Anastasios Kozaitis, President of The Valley Hospital Foundation, and Audrey Meyers, President and CEO of The Valley Hospital and Valley Health System.
The photograph’s caption indicates it was taken during a fundraising event for The Valley Hospital Foundation. Councilwoman Hauck was apparently an attendee at said event (whether by personal invitation or self registration is unknown).
You will no doubt recall that Councilwoman Hauck was one of two individuals who represented Village of Ridgewood taxpayers during mediation sessions held with respect to The Valley Hospital’s “Renewal” project. The other was Councilwoman Susan Knudsen.
In light of her past role as a mediator representing Village Taxpayers, the staff of The Ridgewood Blog questions the appropriateness of Councilwoman Hauck posing with Mr. Kozaitis and Ms. Meyers at the noted venue.
Is it just us, or is this rather bizarre?
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The New Ridgewood Council Can Regain Control of the Central Business District by Repealing “Pfunds Folly”

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May 12,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, after a landslide election and a historic rejection of Mayor Aronsohns special interest , developer driven , machine politics policies the best way to regain control of the Central business district is to repeal “Pfunds Folly ” or ordinance 3066.So what is ordinance 3066?

It was introduced by the Village Council under Mayor Pfund in 2007 (https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/minutes/07RPMJUN13.pdf ). Chapter § 190-143 of the amended Village Code is the kicker; it established procedures for interested persions (i.e. developers) to request amendments to the Village Master Plan or development regulations. Council members Mancuso, Ringler Shagin, Wiest, and Pfund all voted in favor of the ordinance. Chapter § 190-143 is here https://ecode360.com/6694062 and many residents argue that this should be repealed to ensure that we don’t see overdevelopment at Valley and in the CBD in terms of densities and building scale. It’s felt this will better protect our property values.

the text can be see at https://stopvalley.com/Minutes/2007-08-07%20Ordinance%203066.pdf if you cut and paste that into your browser you can see it all.

It is long, setting out the fees involved and procedures – the key part is

§ 190-143. Application to Village Council or Planning Board.
Any interested party may request that an amendment or amendments be made to the Village Master Plan or development regulations. The request(s) shall be made to the Village Council and/or the Village Planning Board  https://theridgewoodblog.net/so-what-is-ordinance-3066/

Readers say time Repeal “Pfunds Folly” ordinance 3066!

We have former Mayor and now appointed local judge Pfund to thank. Without Ordinance 3066, passed purposely in July 2007 when many residents were down the shore, applications to amend the Master Plan would never have even been considered. Then the developers used an old anchoring by applying for 50 units, only to say they’d “comprised” down to 35. The anchor number used should have been the 12 in the Master Plan, and they should have comprised at 18-24, reflecting current Village densities. Development is surely need in the CBD – it’s an eyesore with too much dead space and decaying remnants of the past – but Ordinance 3066 and the 50 number should have never happened in the first place. That’s Pfund’s folly…. These wheels have been in motion since 2007

I had little hope going into last night’s meeting. I am so proud of everyone who came and stood up for our village. Bottom line, we have to repeal ordinance 3066. Also, say no to ordinances requesting our Master Planner. Our Master Plan should be treated with the respect it deserves. It has been in place for decades, protecting our village from the potential high density developments that are on the table now. Should development occur, yes, but within the safeguards of the master plan. Developers: get a variance and if appropriate for Ridgewood it will pass. If the densities are to low for your project and potential profits, to bad, come to the table with something else. But don’t threaten residents with statements “if you don’t give us this, we’ll do something you really won’t like”. That is not neighborly or nice.

We should have been signing petitions to repeal Ordinance 3066 five years ago or more. I agree that 35 units is too high, but that’s because developers are allowed to submit proposals to amend the Master Plan under Ordinance 3066 (passed by then Mayor Pfund under cover of July summer vacations in 2007 to help out his pals at Valley), and its easy to anchor the debate initially at 50 units and then say you’ve “compromised down to 35 units even though the initial anchoring of the discussion should have been at 12 units as per the existing Master Plan.  https://theridgewoodblog.net/readers-say-time-repeal-pfunds-folly-ordinance-3066/

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An email riddled with inaccuracies about the status of the Valley Hospital vs Ridgewood lawsuits is being circulated by Brianna and Nick Scott

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

An email riddled with inaccuracies about the status of the Valley Hospital lawsuits is being circulated by Brianna and Nick Scott.

The email was then forwarded to Councilwoman Susan Traina Knudsen by Lorraine Reynolds and this was her response:

Dear Lorraine,

I read Ms. Scott’s email and, as it pertains to VH, is inaccurate. Please understand the 2010 cannot be implemented since the PB has now settled with Valley by reducing the 2014 plan resulting in the 2016 plan. That plan was adopted by the Planning Board. The judge has not entered a decision in 2016 against either the PB or the VC. What the judge did (2015) was simply keep the Village in the lawsuit, largely for the purpose of seeing if the the parties would mediate a settlement. However, there’s no settlement. The VC is standing firmly behind its ordinance knowing that no court in NJ has ever forced development of this scale on any municipality. A ruling against the Village would be unprecedented. Also, many people fail to understand the the PB case is very different from the VC case. Don’t confuse issues.

The best strategy is for the Village to stay the course and prevail in court.

It’s always difficult to understand why anyone would send such misinformation out to the public. I’m especially disappointed to see the inaccuracies further circulated by other well known members of our Village community.

Finally, I’m only addressing the part of the message relating specifically to Valley since our earlier discussion only referred to same. I’ll review the remaining info later on.

Good seeing you this morning and enjoy this beautiful Mother’s Day!

Best,
Susan

Councilwoman Susan Knudsen
Village of Ridgewood
131 North Maple Avenue
Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
201-670-5500

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Physicians and Patients Rank Ridgewood’s Valley as one of the Top Hospitals in New Jersey

Valley_Hospital_theridgewoodblog

May 6,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,The Valley Hospital has been named one of the top hospitals in New Jersey by doctors and patients as reported by Inside Jersey magazine. The list appears in the magazine’s April issue.

The magazine joined with Castle Connolly, a healthcare research and information company, to ask New Jersey doctors to name the top hospitals for overall care and for specific conditions.  Inside Jersey also worked with IPRO, an independent not-for-profit health care consulting organization, to present post-discharge ratings of New Jersey hospitals by patients.

Among hospitals with more than 350 beds, Valley was named by doctors as among the top five in the state in the following categories:
· Top Hospitals Overall
· Top Hospitals for the Treatment of Breast Cancer
· Top Hospitals for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer
· Top Hospitals for Bypass Surgery
· Top Hospitals for Hip and Knee Repairs
· Top Hospitals for the Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure
· Top Hospitals for the Treatment of Strokes
· Top Hospitals for High-risk Pregnancies
· Top Hospitals for Pain Management

Valley was also listed among the Top Hospitals for the treatment of Neurological Disorders, ranking 6th in the state.

Inside Jersey also reported that among hospitals with more than 350 beds, New Jersey patients ranked The Valley Hospital as No. 1 in the state for communication with doctors, and No. 2 for overall patient satisfaction, cleanliness and communication with nurses.

“I am delighted that physicians and our patients gave us such high marks,” said Audrey Meyers, Valley’s President and CEO.  “It’s a testament to the priority Valley staff and physicians place on achieving the highest-quality clinical outcomes, while delivering the most compassionate care.”

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Man sustained a serious head injury after falling 20 feet from a ladder at construction site in HoHoKus

Ho Ho Kus fall

photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page

May 6,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

HoHo Kus Nj, HoHoKus PD and EMS were called to the scene of an early afternoon construction accident on Wednesday, 05/04. An adult male sustained a serious head injury after falling 20 feet from a ladder at a home under construction on Hollywood Place in HoHoKus; there was no LOC. The victim was transported by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center. HoHoKus EMS was assisted by a paramedic unit from The Valley Hospital

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Valleau Cemetery Crash Detoured Traffic for Hours in Ridgewood

Valleau Cemetery Crash Detoured Traffic for Hours in Ridgewood

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page

May 2,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The male driver and male passenger of a 1996 Toyota 4 Runner sustained non life threatening injuries in an early Sunday, 05/01, afternoon roll over crash in front of the Valleau Cemetery, 660 East Glen Avenue, Ridgewood. Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS personnel responded to the incident along with a paramedic unit from The Valley Hospital. Both victims were transported to The Valley Hospital for further evaluation. The vehicle was righted and removed by a flatbed tow truck. Traffic on East Glen Avenue in the vicinity of the crash was detoured until after the vehicle was removed.

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Is Valley Hospital Really the “Crown Jewel” of Ridgewood ?

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog
April 26,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, all this talk about Valley Hospital being the “Crown Jewel” of Ridgewood ,but the reality is far different . Valley is according to the new OMNIA Health Alliance at “Tier 2” hospital .

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey announced the OMNIA Alliance, a partnership with 22 hospitals which have agreed to accept smaller reimbursements but would be financially rewarded for quality and keeping people healthy. Another 14 hospitals Horizon designated as “tier one” facilities also agreed to accept lower reimbursement in exchange for higher patient volume.

The 14 were ;Chilton Medical Center; Clara Maass Medical Center; Community Medical Center; Hackensack UMC in Hackensack, Mountainside and Pascack Valley; Hunterdon Medical Center; Inspira Medical Center Elmer, Vineland and Woodbury; Jersey City Medical Center; Monmouth Medical Center and its Southern Campus; Morristown Medical Center; Newark Beth Israel Medical Center; Newton Medical Center; Overlook Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway, Somerset, New Brunswick and Hamilton; Saint Barnabas Medical Center. Hackettstown Medical Center will be added after it is acquired by Atlantic Health

However the remaining 36 hospitals in the state, were left out. The hospitals included in Tier 2 (based on the latest available information) are Bayonne Hospital; Capital Health in Trenton and Hopewell; CentraState Medical Center in Freehold; East Orange General Hospital; Hoboken University Medical Center; Holy Name Hospital; JFK Medical Center, Edison; Kennedy Health System in Cherry Hill, Stratford, and Turnersville; Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County, Willingboro; Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center, Secaucus; and Memorial Hospital of Salem County.

Also in Horizon’s Tier 2: Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, Camden; Raritan Bay Medical Center – Old Bridge and Perth Amboy; Saint Clare’s Hospital in Denville, Dover, and Sussex; Saint Michael’s Medical Center, Newark; Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick; St. Francis Medical Center, Trenton; St. Luke’s Warren Hospital; St. Mary’s Hospital, Passaic; Trinitas Hospital, Elizabeth; University Hospital, Newark; Valley Hospital, Ridgewood; Virtua, Berlin, Marlton, Mount Holly, and Voorhees.

Horizon created OMNIA and the tiered network plan in an attempt to curb health insurance costs and provide cheaper options to employers and consumers.

Horizon examined Medicare data and looked for the hospitals with the lowest readmission rates and best scores on patient, safety and quality measures. Hospitals needed to offer a range of inpatient, outpatient and post-acute care services. They had to be using or prepared to use a “value-based” payment model that rewards preventive care. They had to score high on patient satisfaction surveys. Horizon also favored the largest hospitals and systems, including those that serve a sizable number of Horizon members.

Horizon claims they are not passing judgement on the quality of the hospital. Consumers who go to Tier 1 hospitals and doctors pay lower copays and out-of-pocket costs. They can visit hospitals and doctors classified as Tier 2 but pay higher costs when doing so. 

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Village of Ridgewood “someone was sleeping while your taxes were going up!”

Village Council Candidate Janice Willet snoozed

April 26,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, “someone was sleeping while your taxes were going up!”Looks like Village Council Candidate Janice Willet snoozed her way through every single one of the Valley whispering woods hearings. Literally every meeting. We only bothered to photo the one. I assure you meeting I almost covered her with a blanket. Sometimes, nothing could wake her, other times she just dozed.

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Readers Don’t Buy Valley Hospital’s “Greater Good” Argument for Ridgewood

Valley_Hospital_theridgewoodblog

I am a lifelong resident of the Willard School area and might happily live the rest of my life without going near the Valley Hospital except when I need its excellent services or am visiting nearby friends.

That said, I don’t accept the “greater good”argument you raise. I am gravely concerned with the effect of ten years of construction on our school children at BF and Travell as well as on Valley’s immediate neighbors. And, yes, perhaps one could say I am not being entirely altruistic – – but that’s because I realize if you hurt part of the whole without good cause, you hurt the entirety of the whole.

For example, as property prices decline near Valley due to construction and expansion, so do prices throughout the entire town. And even if the reduction in real estate value is confined to that portion of town, that means the rest of our taxes go up to make up for the shortfall resulting from the reduction in real estate prices. And think of the young couple that has heard great things about Ridgewood and for the first time pulls down Linwood avenue to go see their realtor. At the first traffic light they come to, they will be greeted by a 1,700 car garage. Does that garage foster the image of a town they want to move into, or does it cause one of them to turn to the other and say, “honey, take a right over to Glen and let’s go check out Waldwick and Ho-Ho-Kus?”

And in terms of three “minds being made up,” I think Voigt hit the nail on the head when he noted at the debate that he just met this week with the Valley CEO, its director of communications and its legal counsel. He went alone to discuss the construction and see what compromises might be reached. If you listened to the debate, you heard he did not get much of a response. Hache, too, spoke eloquently regarding his affinity for the Hospital in contrast to his concerns over the expansion. So, I don’t think the they (or Walsh) are closed to the notion of compromise and discussion. In fact, I think the three have demonstrated just the opposite.

I can’t think of a single person who wants to see Valley shut down. But, by the same token, are the goals of the Valley expansion worth sacrificing the standards of living for a whole section of town? I view Voigt, Hache and Walsh as three candidates who are not willing to sacrifice that part of town, or any part of town for that matter, in the pursuit of some undefined goal of “progress.”

That’s why this election really is all about where we live and how, and whether we want to maintain the vibrant vestiges of our Village life or change into something else. Perhaps I am being selfish here, and not thinking of the greater “regional good,” but don’t years and years of tax payments lead all of us to vote for candidates who want to preserve the Village for Villagers?

Thanks,
Kevin Mattessich

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Failure to Yield Results in Pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue in Ridgewood

Lincoln ave Ridgewood failure to yield

photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

April 19,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, An adult female sustained a non-life threatening knee injury after being struck by a motor vehicle at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Bellair Road in Ridgewood on Monday evening, 04/18. She was transported by a Ridgewood EMS ambulance to The Valley Hospital. Ridgewood PD reportedly issued a summons to the vehicle’s driver for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

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Readers take on Ridgewood’s East Side vs West Debate

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“Ms. Hauck got elected last time because the West side of Ridgewood voted and the Eastside did not. Check the records. I believe this “committee” came into existence after that election. Most of those in administration, on the board, and doctors from Valley that live in Ridgewood are also from the West side, and, I would be willing to bet, most of this front they call a Financial Advisory Committee live on the West side. Get it ? It is nothing more than a power play by a relatively small group of people with big money and egos that could care less about the overall well being of Ridgewood. And you are right 1:44, that could easily happen, but not just to that neighborhood.”

While others say , ” please don’t make this a West v. East thing. That tears a community apart and it’s insulting. I happen to live on the West side, within spitting distance of the East side – the argument that we are 2 separate groups doesn’t fly.”

Lets face it , “that has been the undercurrent for several years and now with all of the disputes going on, especially with the so called “crown jewel”, a lot of people are making this an east side west side thing… and some postings implying people living near the hospital are suckers, selfish, nimby etc. has done wonders to cement that feeling…and yes it is unfortunate but it is becoming a huge reality…”

“I’ll stick to my original comment for which I think I’m entitled after 33 yrs. It’s a power play, pure and simple. I have not said anything that people who have resided here have not said privately, trust me. But if nothing else, maybe it will get the people in this town to wake up, vote these people and their friends out, and stop the train wreck. That’s what the statement was intended to do. Sometimes being “politically correct “”does not work.”

“I live on the west side and I have email from Gwenn saying the previous administration did not take care of the west side and she and the current administration are making sure that west side is not neglected. So, she definitely tried to play that card.”

 

 

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Rurik Halaby For the Record Plants a Tree in Ridgewood

Rurik Halaby

file photo by Boyd Loving

by Rurik Halaby

Amazing scoop, worthy of Woodward and Bernstein. A Pulitzer in the offing?
For the record, I am personally supporting Rich Brooks, Evan Weitz, and Janice Willett. Rich I have known since he and Cynthia were active in the Red Cross. Evan and Janice I have only met recently.
For the record, I have not contributed a red cent to their campaign, and I have no plans to do so.
For the record I never interviewed them before I endorsed them and so I don’t know their positions on Valley, the Apartments, the Garage or Schedler.
For the record I am supporting them because they are people of the highest integrity, who embody the decent Ridgewood we moved to 47 years ago. People with vision and intelligence to help us meet the challenges of the future.
For the record, I don’t have a foggy idea who Valley is supporting if they are supporting anyone. I support Valley’s Renewal because the interests of Ridgewood’s Residents are best served with a world class hospital keeping up to date. And yes, wake up and smell the coffee, the courts will no BUT support Valley, Ridgewood’s Crown Jewel. And No, Valley does not pay me. It does not pay my wife either. She is a long-term volunteer who would be rich if she got paid minimum wage for every hour she spent volunteering there.
For the record, for you miscreants who criticize my wife: Ask the 1,000 people who enjoyed yesterday’s Daffodil Festival what they thought of the event which she organized. If every one of you misfits would spend a minute volunteering for every hour you spend belly aching, Ridgewood would be the proverbial Camelot you think you live in.
For the record for you ignorami who criticized my wife for planting daffodils and day lilies in the CBD, the topic of the Festival was to protect the pollinators. She was able to obtain a large supply of milkweed seed which grade school kids are planting at Twinney’s and elsewhere.
For Anon 1:16:
Rurik Halaby is a long-term resident who cares about the future of Ridgewood. Identify yourself and I will be pleased to discuss what Ridgewood is going through.
Rurik Halaby is the person who paid out of his own pocket for two mailers to go out to every household in Ridgewood encouraging people to vote. And to vote for whoever. But to vote.
Rurik Halaby, 75 years old, believes in the old Greek proverb: “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”

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The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, April 25

BOE_theridgewoodblog

BOARD UPDATES

BOE-REA Negotiations

Click here to read a Letter to the Editor of The Ridgewood News, published on April 8, 2016.
 
Click here to view the Ridgewood Board of Education’s Post Hearing Fact Finding Brief and attachments.Click here
to view an analysis of “Unused Funds’ identified by the REA during Fact Finding Proceedings, presented at the March 7, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.

Click here to read a Letter to the Editor of The Ridgewood News, which appeared in the paper on March 4, 2016.

Click here to read the Ridgewood Board of Education’s Fact-Finding Presentation with The Ridgewood Education Association.

Click here to view the backup for the Ridgewood Board of Education’s Fact-Finding Presentation with The Ridgewood Education Association.

BOE Meets on April 25 at 7:30 p.m.
The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, April 25, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting may also be viewed on FiOS channel 33, Optimum channel 77 or from computers via the “Live BOE Meeting” tab on the district website.FiOS channel 33, Optimum channel 77 or from computers via the “Live BOE Meeting” tab on the district website.

Click here to view the agenda for the April 4, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.

Click here to view the 2016-2017 Preliminary Budget presented at the March 21, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.

Click here to view the minutes of the March 21, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.

Click here to view the Full Day Kindergarten Recommendation presented to the Board at their March 7, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.